Sponge covered strand wash cloth with soap pocket



Dec. 31, 1957 F. ARIOLI 2,81

SPONGE-COVERED STRAND WASH CLOTH WITH SOAP POCKET Filed Aug. 18, 1954 U d w O SPONGE COVERED STRAND WASH CLOTH WITH SOAP POCKET Fortunata Arioli, Revere, Mass.

Application August 18, 1954, Serial No. 450,607

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-122) The present invention relates to an improved wash cloth, and more particularly to a wash cloth of the general type having a pocket formed therein to receive a cake of soap.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a wash cloth of the general type referred to which will have novel characteristics of texture and feel which make the improved product particularly desirable for use as a wash cloth.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a wash cloth of this general description which is constructed of material of such character, and which is fabricated in such a manner as to make the most efiicient use of said material so that the wash cloth remains fresh and clean and can be alternately used and left to dry for an indefinite number of times without accumulation of dirt or grease.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel and improved construction of a wash cloth which is particularly adapted for fabrication from cellulose sponge covered strands.

For a complete understanding of this invention reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing of which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a wash cloth constructed in accordance with the invention, and having a piece of soap encased therein; and Fig. 2 is an edge view of the wash cloth shown in Fig. 1 looking from the top of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a wash cloth is shown which is made from cellulose sponge covered strands consisting preferably of a core yarn 6 of cotton or other spun fabric and a heavy covering of sponge material 8 (see Fig. 2) which may be sponge cellulose hydrate. Sponge covered strands of this general description will readily absorb large amounts of water while at the same time dirt of any description is filtered out at the surface of the material. The sponge covering serves also to protect the core wins from abrasion and from unravelling. The material, when wet gains considerably in body and in stiffness so that the material although very loosely woven is substantial and satisfactory to handle. This material has been found, when wet, also to have a fine texture and feel which renders it particularly suitable for use as a face cloth. A particular feature of the present invention consists in the fabrication of the cellulose sponge covered strands above described into a wash cloth or face cloth of superior quality.

Specifically in accordance with the invention, the strands have been formed into a fabric layer in which the strands are spaced a substantial distance apart so that the area of the voids in the fabric is substantially in excess of the mass of the strands in the fabric layers. The texture and feel of the fabric layer is determined by the texture and feel of the individual strands which are of substantial size and which gain still further body when wet giving to the fabric a full bodied feel.

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'*'--the particularadvantagethat free access is -provided for the action of.=-the soap-through-thainterstices o'fthe envelope.- Furthermore-the wash cloth is self-cleaning since any soap held in solution is immediately.-washed-=away, so preventing undesirable accumulations of soap or dirt in the wash cloth.

Crossing strands 10 and 12 forming the upper fabric layer are interwoven and are secured together by lines of stitching 14 which extend along each of the strands 12 and across the several intersections with the strands 10. The strands are each approximately one quarter inch wide and are spaced from one another on centers threequarters to one inch apart.

The crossing strands 16 and 18 forming the lower fabric layer are similarly interwoven and are secured together by lines of stitching 20 extending along the strands 18 and across each of the several intersections with the strands 16.

Each of the strands forming each of the several layers of the wash cloth extend a substantial distance beyond the outer most crossing strands at each side of the adjacent layers of strands running in the crosswise direction to provide a substantial fringe of said ends which extends entirely about the edges of the wash cloth.

The upper and lower fabric layers comprising respectively the strands 10 and 12 and the strands 16 and 18 are then secured together by sewing around portions of their edges to form an envelope with an opening at one corner adapted to receive a piece of soap. As shown in Fig. 1, a double line of stitching, indicated at 22, is employed which extends along the length of one edge strand 10 and passes through all of the crossing strands of both layers so that the upper and lower fabric layers are secured firmly together.

A second double line of stitching 24 extends along one edge strand 12 and similarly fastens through all of the crossing strands 10 and 16 to form a second closed side to the envelope. A third line of double stitching 26 extends along a portion of the length of the opposite edge strand 12, and a similar short line of double stitching 28 extends along a portion of the opposite edge strand 10, thus carrying the enclosure partially along each of the two remaining sides of the envelope while leaving an opening at the upper corner thereof, as shown in Fig. 1. In order to close the opening, and thus to maintain a cake of soap securely within the envelope, a latch is provided in the form of loop 30, which is formed by an extension of two crossing strands 10a and 12a. In order to engage the latch, the loop is drawn through the upper corner of the interstice and the lower fabric layer comprising strands 16, 18, as shown in the two figures of the drawing.

It will be understood that while in the preferred form of the invention lines of stitching extending along the lengths of the individual strands are employed as a fastening means, shorter lengths of stitching or any other suitable fastening means may be employed.

The invention having been described, what is claimed A wash cloth adapted to receive a cake of soap, which comprises an envelope formed of two fabric layers, each having highly buoyant cellulose sponge covered strands disposed in cross relation to one another and spaced apart to provide substantial interstices and having the ends of each strand extending beyond the outermost cross strands at each side of the adjacent layers of strands running in the crosswise direction to provide a substantial fringe of said ends extending entirely about the edges of the wash cloth, fastening means securing the cross strands of each layer at their intersections, and additional fastening means securing the two layers to one another about their edges,

said latter fastening means securing together an edge strand of one layer and crossing strands of the other layer, an opening having been provided along a portion of said edges into the interior of said envelope, and an openingclosing latch comprising extended portions of two crossing strands of one layer forming a loop adapted to be inserted through an interstice of the other said layers to close said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wolf Jan. 28, 1919 Graham May 2, 1939 Brady Jan. 1, 1946 Briggs Oct. 22, 1946 

